Better Lives Themes Reflection; Blog Post 2
Prior to starting the Better Lives unit, I was aware of the three themes of diversity, social responsibility and sustainability, however this unit has expanded my knowledge on the three topics greatly. I am now more so aware of how each topic is applied within the fashion industry and how I can also relate this within my creative practice.My chosen course area is Contemporary portrait photography; the three better lives themes are of great significance within this creative practice.
Diversity can of course be applied within all areas of photography, however I found it most interesting to look at representation behind the lens, at the photographers themselves. Upon a browse through various well-known magazines, it was made clear that (the majority of the time) only well-established photographers/artists are selected to be included within the outlet. This being said, I do believe that this is of course ever-changing, due to the fast-paced, modernised industry. Teleica Kirkland’s lecture on representation was an incredibly useful insight into this subject area; diversity within the fashion industry was scrutinised, which was eye-opening for me as it has made me more so aware of forced diversity rather than a natural effort to portray diversity within all creative areas. For this reason, it is of my opinion that creatives need to work alongside creative platforms e.g. zines, to ensure that in the future diversity within the fashion industry is not an area that needs to be improved, as everyone should have equal opportunity.
In terms of social responsibility within my practice, I am now more educated on the way in which fashion is uniquely placed to respond to the issues faced by society and the industry. In the most simplistic form, young creatives such as myself need to be deeply aware of the message that their work is relaying to their audience; the effect that a certain message can have amongst said audience could be extremely positive or have a negative impact. A key example of this is ‘The Beautys Inside’, a magazine established in 2012; the content is inspired by and designed for women prisoner readership. This magazine was a creative collaboration between LCF School of Media and Communication and HMP send. I find this a great example of how social responsibility should always be a key factor in any creative work, as not only can it be influential upon the consumer, it could also positively change the way creatives think.
Sustainability is the final theme within the Better Lives unit. My immediate thoughts on how this is applied within portrait photography is through the styling. It is truly key for stylists to be aware of the negative impact fast fashion has; personally, I can understand the allure of various fast fashion brands due to the fact that I am a student with a low budget for shoots. However, this can be avoided through vintage shops, charity finds and of course reworking old clothes. For this reason, I have made it a personal challenge to rework old garments for an upcoming photoshoot, as due to the current lockdown this is a perfect time to do so.
To conclude, it is made evident that all of these themes are of key importance within the fashion industry and that in the future their significance will only grow stronger.